October 4th, 2024 - One of the biggest challenges I see across the technology leadership community is an increased focus on short-term goals. While achieving immediate results is important, this approach often neglects the habits necessary to build a sustainable, world-class technology organization. Every technology leader needs to strike a balance between short and long-term objectives in order to create the right technology strategy for the future, while also delivering on immediate priorities.
Unfortunately, the constant pressure on teams and leaders makes it harder to carve out the time for the long-term, proactive thinking that leads to the most efficient architectures, risk management frameworks, products, designs, and organizational structures. The focus on short-term needs can be compared to the "weekend warrior" exercisers—people who neglect fitness during the week, then attempt to make up for it by overexerting themselves in a single session. We know that approach doesn’t work for fitness, and it doesn’t work for technology strategy either.
Similarly, many technology leaders don’t explore new technologies regularly. Instead, they might attempt to catch up all at once when the urgency of planning for the next year arises. This rush leads to poor decisions and inefficient outcomes. At Cresting Wave, we believe that building a strong technology strategy isn’t a one-time event—it’s an ongoing process. Just like physical fitness, exploring new technologies and regularly assessing your technology strategy needs to become a habit.
We recommend that technology leaders dedicate time every month to meeting with new companies, learning about emerging technologies, and understanding how these innovations can enhance their organizations. By making this a regular practice, you’ll continuously move towards a better technology strategy.
This is where Cresting Wave can help. We act as your "personal trainer" for innovation scouting, helping you establish and maintain the habit of exploring new technologies. We’ll set up the sessions for you—all you need to do is show up. Our goal is to hold you accountable and keep your company in shape, in terms of innovation.
“Like most CTO’s, I receive inquiries every day from companies looking to speak to me about their offerings. The number is truly overwhelming, and they are typically irrelevant to our business, so I tend to ignore them. However, I do not want to miss out on those that may potentially offer value. Cresting Wave ensures that I do not, bringing to my attention only those offerings that have the potential to bring real value to our firm. Furthermore, the Cresting Wave team is charming and efficient, always making the best use of my time.” – Justin Peterson, CTO at Tradeweb
I strongly encourage every technology leader to take a proactive approach in shaping their long-term architecture, product set, and organizational environment. This kind of forward thinking is key to building a successful and sustainable organization. Moreover, it ensures that your role, compensation, and contributions remain valued by your organization.
At Cresting Wave, we’re happy to offer this service at no cost, and we look forward to hearing from many of you.
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Bill Murphy